Los Angeles, September 3: The Los Angeles police department (LAPD) late on Thursday said a "trans woman" has been booked for allegedly flashing male genitalia at a Korean spa in June this year. Darren Merager now faces five felony counts of indecent exposure and an arrest warrant has also been issued. The development comes two months after an Instagram video of a woman complaining about the alleged incident went viral. US Shocker: 3 Disney World Employees Try to Have Sex With Kids in Florida, Arrested in Sting Operation.
The incident took place at Wi Spa in the Koreatown neighborhood on June 24. The viral video showed one of the female visitors complaining that a naked "man" went into women's section at the spa and showed his "d**k". When another visitor said the accused person might be a trans woman, the complainant responded with transphobic language, denying the existence of trans women, showed the video. Sex Racket Case Busted in UK, 19 Men Arrested For Child Sexual Abuse.
The video had triggered violent clashes between pro-trans activists and anti-trans protesters outside the spa. According to a report by The Guardian, the LAPD said it "conducted interviews of victims and witnesses, reviewed the evidence, and ultimately corroborated the allegations of indecent exposure". Subsequently, Merager was charged with indecent exposure.
The police also said Merager has a history of previous indecent exposure charges and is a registered sex offender. Merager was convicted of indecent exposure in LA in 2002 and 2003. Merager’s gender identity remains unclear. When the incident had come to light, an LGBTQ+ newspaper asked whether the incident "may have been staged", stating that there was no known record of trans clients at the spa on June 24.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 03, 2021 04:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).